Testimonials:

Hi Dr. James,

Our golden is five months out from surgery and I am very grateful to have had the benefit of your wisdom and guidance.  Connor started a weekly rehab program in December using the underwater treadmill and other strengthening exercises.  We of course are continuing conditioning him at home on a daily basis as well.  He is now off-leash with me while I snowshoe for 15-30 minutes and doing fabulous.  Without your detailed weekly guidance during the initial recovery process and the continued support for strengthening I would not have felt as confident as I now do now to let him off-leash at this point.  Thank you very much for this valuable information and support!   I just finished giving a review of your  TTA book.  I have attached it for your information.

“My golden retriever is close to his five-month recovery from TTA surgery.  Although the surgery was a success in MN, I found the surgeon’s 2 pages recommended recovery process lacking in detail.  It is very important to exactly know how to do each exercise and a 2 page summary just wasn’t enough for me.    I researched the web for more detail and discovered Dr. St. Clair’s very detailed TTA recovery information. I was so relieved to see videos of how to do each week’s exercise as well as the much-needed support to continue through the entire process to enable our golden to recover completely.  Oddly enough, our surgeon just said, “use common sense” and we were then left on our own at twelve weeks.  This just didn’t feel right to me.  I  e-mailed Dr. St. Clair about my concerns at week twelve of letting my dog off-leash. Dr. St. Clair immediately responded by telling me that it was not ok until both legs measured the same in muscle mass.  Since our winters are very harsh I was concerned that my golden would lose whatever strength he had gained going forward due to a decreased exercise schedule during our icy/cold conditions.  I also found a rehab facility through Dr. St. Clair’s website in Oakdale MN which specializes in PT for dogs recovering from TTA surgery.  Our golden has been using an underwater treadmill and all sorts of strengthening equipment weekly and will continue for twelve weeks.  The muscle mass has improved and is near equal to the non-surgical leg.  We are now off-leash in the snow for 15-30 minutes while I snowshoe!  I would not have known about the importance of continued rehab or the many exercises recommended if it had not been for Dr. St. Clair’s website and TTA guide.  I truly believe that without Dr. Sinclair’s caring help and detailed guidance for TTA recovery, our golden would not be as strong as he is now.  I cannot emphasize how important it is to follow Dr. St. Clair’s instructions completely to ensure that your beloved pet recovers to their full potential.  By the way, this is the first time I have written such a glowing recommendation for any product.  This is the real deal and you will not find another detailed TTA recovery explanation better than this.  ”

Thank you Dr. James!
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I am totally satisfied with the GlycanAid HA and how Blue, who is my seven year old English Lab, is doing on it.  We are six weeks out from herACL surgery of her right hind leg and as you said in your week 5 newsletter, these next weeks will be a challenge to keep her from doing too much.  We are vigilant in keeping her safe and under control. We will have a lot of time when Spring gets here and we are well past the 24 weeks of PT and getting her legs equally strong so as not to go through this again.  I only wish I had come across your website back in the early 2000’s when our first chocolate lab had leg surgery because of – for lack of better words- poor breeding.  Even now, with the orthopedic surgeon and our vet, the only instructions that were given was – no running, jumping or stairs for 84 days. I am grateful and thankful this year that you have dedicated your practice to helping us dog lovers with our children who unfortunately have to go through a surgical procedure.  With your information, products, continued encouragement to us and the availability to ask you questions has made going through this rough time easier.
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Back in June I contacted you about our 9 month Golden Retriever, Aspen, who was diagnosed with bilateral elbow dysplasia. Not a day would go by that she didn’t limp, and most days she would just lay around the house and not act like the playful puppy that she was. I asked for a suggestion on what joint supplements to put her on because the Glycoflex that our vet put her on was obviously not the answer. You had suggested another brand and Glycanaid HA. My wife and I decided to try the Glycanaid HA. Not just because of the excellent reviews it has received, but partially because of the honest response we got from you in recommending another brand as well. Well, here we are almost three months later and she doesn’t limp anymore. She is more energetic than ever, isn’t afraid to get off the couch, and even goes to hospital to visit sick children as a therapy dog now!!! We also take her swimming just as you had suggested. Thanks again for the honest advice and for the incredible supplement that has helped her. We know it won’t cure her joint problems, but it has restored a quality of life that she probably wouldn’t have had otherwise.

My wife and I can’t say enough about you and your supplements. Thanks again, Dr. J and Top Dog Animal Health and Rehabilitation!!!!
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This is Morgan a Border Collie I rescued about 4 years ago and who is now 8 years old. He did dock diving competitions and did very well…working toward his National Championship. He tore his cruciate ligament on the left side and had 3 surgeries before we got it healed. I used the TopDog Health Rehab Program and found it to be very thorough and useful on a day to day basis.  This summer he tore the right cruciate, had surgery and was not healing well with the supplements he was on. I went looking for another option…I had a knee problems and they had tried using Hyaluronic Acid on me…I know how much better it felt. I thought I would give this GlycanAid HA a try and it has worked. Morgan has been improving consistently and after his last x-rays his bones are great. Maybe back to swimming and diving soon.

I usually do NOT take the time to give review, but in this case I felt it was justified.

PS: He loves the taste of the pills and waits for them to be served before his dinner….that is very unusual for a Border collie…they are NOT food motivated.

Dog Lover/Rescuer
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Dear Dr. J,

On July 19, 2013, Kona had TPLO surgery on her right knee.  It was such a difficult decision whether to have this surgery or not.  This would be Kona’s third knee surgery (same knee!)  The previous two surgeries were unsuccessful.  Kona is an avid hiker, swimmer, and all around very athletic girl.  The pain she was experiencing indicated to us that TPLO was our final answer.  We knee the surgery would be a tough one, tougher than the previous two.  But we had no idea what was really involved until we got her home after four nights at the vet hospital post surgery.

Kona walked out of the hospital with a square shaved area on her rear from the epidural, a narcotic pain patch on her left rear leg, a sling, pain pills, anti-inflammatory pills and a list of rules and instructions.  Once we got her loaded into the back of the SUV, she then had a 2-1/2 hour drive home to our mountain community, curving roads and all.  She was in so much pain it was horrible to watch.  We got her settled in the house, but she wasn’t comfortable for days.  I spent the night on the floor with her trying to keep her comfortable.  Neither of us got much sleep.  I sure was questioning myself about doing the right thing for her.  She had no interest in food and not much in water.  I hand fed her for several days so that we could get her pills down her with something on her stomach.  Thank goodness I am retired and was able to just sit and care for my girl.  She needed that one-on-one care for about 7-10 days.  At about day three or four, I couldn’t stand watching what she was going through and after a very unsatisfying chat with the vet that did the surgery, I decided to go online and see what more information I could find about post TPLO surgery.  Thanks goodness I found Dr. J and Top Dog Health!  I immediately saw that this was a site that would help me and downloaded everything I could from him.  In the first video, Dr. J says “Take a deep breath, we are going to get through this.”  It was exactly what I needed to hear.  A vet that understood I was having trouble and fearful for my dog.  Dr. J took me through everything on what to expect, how to help her in every aspect.  I followed his instructions to the tee!  Not only did it help Kona, it helped me!  I was seeing progress and felt like I was an active participant in healing my dog.

Upon our first follow-up appointment with the surgeon, he was very pleased with Kona’s progress and told us to keep up the good work.  I told him the only reason we both survived the first four weeks was because of Dr. J and his instructions.  We started Kona on the Glycanaid-HA supplements at this point.  Her healing process seemed to speed up and she was using her leg more.  We were all housebound for the full eight weeks, no stairs, no running, etc.  Again, sure glad I was able to stay home and watch her every second.  At the eight week check-up with the surgeon, he of course x-rayed her and stated that her knee is completely stable and healing perfectly.  He stated “I wish all my patients were doing this well at eight weeks, keep doing whatever it is you are doing.”  I had printed up the materials from Dr. J’s site and recommended to him that he provide this thorough of a guide and information to all of his TPLO patients, it is what saved Kona and I.  He assured us that he would, and I truly hope that he does.  We needed this information up front, not finding it on my own.

As of today we are almost five months into Kona’s recovery time.  She still pulls her leg up occasionally when she trots, but bears full weight on it most of the time.  She hiked with me for two miles and did great!  She swims on a regular basis too, but no more bounding into the water, nice slowly emerging is the goal.  Because Kona is 7 years old, has had two previous knee surgeries, and some hip dysphasia on the right side, she will never be 100%.  We were just hoping to get her out of pain and able to continue to do the sports that she loves.  With TopDog Health and Dr. J, we have achieved that goal.  Words alone could never express our gratitude for providing the very best advice, video demonstrations, and joint supplement on the market. I am convinced that the outcome for Kona would not have been as positive without the help and guidance provided by TopDog Health.  I wish everyone that out there that is considering TPLO surgery for their pet, or has had it, contact Dr. J and TopDog Health now.  No matter how great the surgeon and/or vet, this program is the answer to an informative surgical decision and successful recovery!

Again Many Thanks for all that you have provided to our family!
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Hey Doctor J,

I just wanted to let you know that Smokey is in his 4th month since his CCL surgery and he is doing very well.  I’m trying to be cautious about letting him do too much too soon, but he is now taking short walks with me and running some without any negative results.  He has been on GlycanAid HA for almost three months now and he likes the supplement and is moving without any noticeable limp at all.  Neither he nor I can wait until he can retrieve balls and play Frisbee again, which he dearly loves.  He is a very happy dog now that he can move around a lot more without the accompanying pain that was present following his surgery.  Thanks again for all the good advice on your web site and for being instrumental in getting him on the GlycanAid HA.  Smokey thanks you as well.
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Our Cooper is a Labradoodle. He will be 4 in February and weighs just about 82 lbs.  He is great now running, hopping, dashing, darting, and his favorite swimming. Just about a year and a half ago he pulled his ACL on the right  side and the cushion in the left had rolled up and he could not extend  his leg straight. The surgeries went good and repairs were done and things were going good until the right side repairs snapped and we needed to start all over again with another surgery and rehabilitation. It was at this time that I learned about GlycanAid HA and the wonderful staff at Top Dog. Dr. James St. Clair always had time to send information about Cooper’s rehabilitation and answer question. He was concerned and I could tell that he really wanted to follow Cooper’s progress. Cooper will need to take GlycanAid HA probably for the rest of his happy, healthy, life and I know because of this product he healed strong, quickly and is not in pain. This is a picture of Cooper from the past summer. It was the first summer back into the pool after his surgeries and rehabilitation. As you can see no problems here! TOP DOG YOU ARE GREAT.
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I would just like to take a moment to thank you for your unmatched help in the recovery of my Boxer, Pago. He tore his ACL and Meniscus last January running in the snow.  He had TPLO surgery with some instructions; however, your information on your website was invaluable.  He and my other dog are both on GlycanAid.  You gave us step by step instructions to his rehabilitation and it’s one year later with no problems. Pago is 11 years old and is slowing down, but for a Boxer it’s unbelievable!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!  We couldn’t have done it without your helpful website.  We live 2 hours from Seattle and required a ferry service to get to the clinic; so it was prohibitive for us to go there for rehab.  You gave us a workable situation at home.

 
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